Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch is an organization which describes itself as "a conservative, non-partisan American educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law." [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/about.shtml "About Us"] , Judicial Watch web site.] According to its mission statement, Judicial Watch "advocates high standards of ethics and morality in America's public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people." [http://www.judicialwatch.org/mission.shtml "About Judicial Watch - Our Mission"] , Judicial Watch web site.]

Founded by conservative attorney Larry Klayman in 1994cite news | url = http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040329/corn | title = Klayman Watch | author = Corn, David | publisher = The Nation | date = 2004-03-29 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ] , Judicial Watch came to public attention after filing 18 lawsuits against the administration of Democratic U.S. President Bill Clinton and figures in the Clinton administration. The organization received considerable financial support from prominent Clinton critics, including $7.74 million from conservative billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife. [cite web | url = http://www.mediatransparency.org/scaifeaggregate.php | title = Recipients by amounts granted by all Scaife foundations | work = Media Transparency | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ] This led Clinton administration officials to accuse Judicial Watch of "abusing the judicial system for partisan ends." [cite news | title = Pursuing Clinton Suits Him Just Fine | publisher = Washington Post | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/klayman053098.htm | author = Segal, David | page = A01 | date = 1998-05-30 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ]

However, in July, 2003 Judicial Watch joined the environmental organization the Sierra Club in suing the George W. Bush administration for access to minutes of Vice President Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force. [ [http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_klayman.html Bill Moyers Interview with Larry Klayman] , Public Broadcasting Service, July 11, 2003.] After several years of legal wrangling, in May, 2005 an appeals court permitted the Energy Task Force's records to remain secret. [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/cheneycase.shtml Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Nat’l Energy Policy Dev. Group, et al.] , Judicial Watch web site.] [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/5442.shtml Appeals Court Permits Energy Task Force Records to Remain Secret] , Judicial Watch press release, May 10, 2005.]

In September 2003, Klayman left the organization to run for the United States Senate from Florida. [Joseph Farah, [http://www.savingjudicialwatch.org/articles.htm Larry Klayman for U.S. Senate] , WorldNetDaily, August 26, 2004, reposted at [http://www.savingjudicialwatch.org/articles.htm Articles page, SavingJudicialWatch.org] .] In 2006 Klayman sued Judicial Watch and its president Tom Fitton. The lawsuit charged Fitton misrepresented his academic and professional credentials upon hiring and upon assuming his position engaged in false and misleading fund raising, misuse of donor money, failure to comply with a promised severance package to Klayman, failure to appoint an attorney as Chairman, and other actions which damaged Judicial Watch, the donors and Klayman. The lawsuit is ongoing. [Timothy Noah, [http://www.slate.com/id/2140567/entry/0/ Judicial Watch v. Judicial Watch] , Slate, April 28, 2006.] [ [http://www.savingjudicialwatch.org/ FOUNDER SUES JUDICIAL WATCH PRESIDENT TOM FITTON] , Saving Judicial Watch press release, April 13, 2006.]

In 2006 Judicial Watch sued the Secret Service to force the release of logs detailing corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff's visits to the White House. This resulted in the release of a number of documents. [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/abramoff.shtml The Jack Abramoff Scandal] , Judicial Watch web site.] [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/abramoff-july7.shtml U.S. Secret Service Forced to Release More White House Logs Detailing Abramoff Visits] , Judicial Watch website, July 7, 2007.]

Positions

The motto of Judicial Watch is "because no one is above the law." While the bulk of Judicial Watch's cases involve transparency in government and government integrity, the organization has taken positions on a wide range of issues. [http://www.judicialwatch.org/litigation Litigation page] , Judicial Watch web site.] According to Judicial Watch, it supports:

*"High standards of ethics and morality in our nation's public life";
*"Conservative goals of accountability and openness in government" through freedom of information legislation; and
*Increasing public awareness of corruption and misconduct by government officials;

Activities

According to David Corn, Judicial Watch uses litigation as its primary tool, cite news | url = http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040329/corn | title = Klayman Watch | author = Corn, David | publisher = The Nation | date = 2004-03-29 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ] and its web page contains detailed information on current litigation matters. A sample of Judicial Watch activities include:
* Suing the town of Herndon, Virginia to stop a "day laborer" program on the grounds that it may provide employment for illegal aliens.
* Suing the U.S. Senate to disallow the filibuster in their debates over confirmation of judicial nominees, coinciding with proposed efforts by Republican Senate leaders to internally do the same thing.
* Criticizing the Bush administration for their guest worker program, obtaining evidence of a spike in illegal immigration denied by the administration.
* Initiating a request to the Naval Inspector General for an investigation into the "legitimacy and propriety" of the awards John Kerry received for his service in Vietnam. [ [http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2004/kerryawards.htm Letter from Tom Fitton Re: Request for Investigation, Determination and Final Disposition of Awards Granted to Lieutenant (junior grade) John Forbes Kerry, USNR] Judicial Watch web site, August 18, 2004.] The inspector general's office subsequently determined that Kerry's awards "were properly approved" and declined to take further action in the matter [cite web | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2004/navyresponse.pdf | title = Navy response to Judicial Watch request | format = PDF | author = Route, R.A. | date = 2004-09-14 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 | publisher = Judicial Watch ] ; the office also responded to Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act request with documentation of its review. [cite web | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2004/jknavydocs.pdf | title = Naval response to FOIA request | author = Route, R.A. | date = 2004-10-04 | publisher = Judicial Watch | accessdate = 2007-06-02 | format = PDF]
* Criticizing the U.S. Navy for securing a public relations firm to encourage Puerto Ricans to vote to keep a Naval testing range at Vieques, Puerto Rico.
*Investigating fund-raising activities relating to the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy. [cite news | title = To Gadfly of the Right, Clinton Administration Is Unsafe at Any Speed | publisher = Washington Post | date = 1996-11-17 | page = A17 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/klayman111796.htm | author = By Blustein, Paul and Locy, Toni | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ]
* Rejecting the adjudicated innocence of David Rosen, who served as campaign finance director for Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign for the U.S. Senate and had been indicted for filing false reports.
* Condemning as "murder" the death of Terri Schiavo, who lived for 15 years in a diagnosed persistent vegetative state and whose husband wished to allow to die. Her parents wished that she be kept on life support, and were joined in their pursuits by prominent Republicans.
* Calling for Republican Tom DeLay to step down as House Majority Leader calling his actions on Medicare "inappropriate" and "unacceptable". [cite press release | title = House Majority Leader Should Step Down Over Ethics Lapse, Says Judicial Watch | date = 2004-10-06 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/3844.shtml | publisher = Judicial Watch ]
* Filing a lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney and Halliburton for alleged fraudulent accounting practices. [cite press release | title = BUSH-CHENEY WHITE HOUSE OBSTRUCTS HALLIBURTON LAWSUIT | date = 2002-07-26 | accessdate = 2007-06-02 | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/2221.shtml | publisher = Judicial Watch ]
* Judicial Watch gained media attention when a judge in a separate lawsuit [http://flight77.info/final-order.jpgordered] the Department of Justice to release live video taken from relevant security cameras at The Pentagon on September 11, 2001. On May 16 2006 the group released the videos from the two cameras on their website with hopes to "...put to rest the conspiracy theories involving American Airlines Flight 77..." [cite web | title = Defense Department Releases Two Videos of Flight 77 Crashing Into Pentagon | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml | publisher = Judicial Watch | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ]
* On June 20 2007 the group released FBI documents related to the “expeditious departure” of Saudi nationals, including members of the bin Laden family, from the United States following the 9/11 attacks. According to one of the documents, dated September 21 2001, Osama bin Laden himself may have chartered one of the Saudi flights. [cite web | title = Judicial Watch Releases New FBI Documents: Osama bin Laden May Have Chartered Saudi Flight Out of U.S. after 9/11 | url = http://www.judicialwatch.org/6322.shtml | publisher = Judicial Watch | accessdate = 2008-01-04 ]

Funding

In 2002, Judicial Watch received $1.1 million from The Carthage Foundationcite web | url = http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=1122 | title = Recipient Grants: Judicial Watch | work = Media Transparency | accessdate = 2007-06-02 ] and a further $400,000 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation. Both foundations are managed by Richard Mellon Scaife. The year before the Scaife Foundation gave $1.35 million and Carthage $500,000.

In all, between 1997 and 2002 Judicial Watch received $7,069,500 (unadjusted for inflation) in 19 grants from a handful of foundations. The bulk of this funding came from just three foundations – the Sarah Scaife Foundation, The Carthage Foundation and the John M. Olin Foundation, Inc. According to MediaTransparency, "Judicial Watch is essentially a tool of Richard Mellon Scaife, who provides almost all its funding."

Notes

External links

* [http://www.judicialwatch.org/ Judicial Watch]
* [http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml JudicialWatch.org] - Official website showing the two videos released on May 16 2006
* [http://www.citizen.org/documents/JudicialWatchEthicsPressConfStmt.pdf Statement By Tom Fitton On Proposed Changes To House Ethics Process Rules] , Public Citizen web site, undated.